Recently, some digital cameras and mobile terminals with a built-in camera are capable of recording position information as attribute information of image data obtained by image sensing. Further, some personal computer (PC) applications display image data where the above-described position information is recorded distinctively from image data where position information is not recorded. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-323543 discloses a technique of displaying an icon which indicates whether or not position information is recorded as attribute information of image data to be described, so as to distinguish such image data where position information is recorded from image data where position information is not recorded.
However, in the above-described conventional technique, while it is possible to know whether or not position information is recorded in image data, it is not possible to determine the positioning method used to acquire the position information.
There are a plurality of types of positioning methods to obtain position information. For example, in the case of a digital camera having a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, under a condition where a signal can be received from a GPS satellite, position information, obtained based on the signal, is recorded as attribute information of image data. Further, in the case of a digital camera or mobile terminal having a wireless LAN, position information, obtained from the nearest radio base station, can be recorded in image data. In addition, arbitrary position information may be recorded by manual operation with a console, in image data where no position information is recorded. There is a probability of erroneous input due to manual operation. As described above, plural sets of position information exist in view of accuracy and credibility. To check the accuracy and credibility of the position information, it is insufficient to merely determine presence/absence of position information.